Fence Painting

Hi Twiggyho, really sorry to take so long to get back to you.

Funnily enough I'd just been trying to find your earlier comment to reply to that when I found this.

Here's my advice - I know riding on the road can be a very daunting experience but it is actually much safer than it looks. The key thing to remember is that if you are riding on the road you are traffic – so you need to act like traffic - riding in a consistent manner and communicating your intentions clearly. That means riding confidently and assertively being aware of what is going on around you, continuously reading the situation and anticipating problems - the same as you would read the trails riding off road, in my experience mountain bikers make extremely good road riders, because they are used to dealing with the unexpected and they usually have very sound bike handling skills as a result. You do need to be able ride in a straight line, look behind you, and signal, but I'm guessing that isn't going to be a problem for you.

So how do you build up your confidence?

In your other post you said that your boyfriend was an experienced road rider, so the first thing I would suggest is that you you go out on the road together with you riding just in front of him, to an agreed destination - that way he can coach you along the way and give you some pointers on things you might need to be more aware of or, more likely boost, your confidence by telling you that you are doing fine.

It may well be that you don't suddenly have a eureka moment and find that you can ride on the road without worry, but the more you ride on the road, maybe little and often you'll find your confidence grows over time. And if you do find yourself in a situation that you don't feel confident about, crossing a busy roundabout for instance – don't feel you have to force yourself to face it, there's no harm in simply getting off and walking around – it's not as if there's going to be anyone on the other side waiting with a medal (more's the pity, I'd quite like the of job standing at roundabouts waiting to dish out medals to novice cyclists) the same goes for any other situation, just work up to it.

Other things you can do:

Read some books THE book on the subject of riding a bike on the road is John Franklin's Cyclecraft http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclecraft-Skilled-Cycling-Techniques-Adults/dp/0117020516 check out the '1 used from price…' Luckily Amazon also have plenty of used examples. Richard Ballantine's Cycling in cities also comes well recommended too.

Get some training – I've sent a few experienced cyclists along for cycle training over the years and all (well both) of them genuinely got something out of it. On your profile it says your location is Falmouth so here's a list of accredited trainers in the South West from the CTC website – there's load of 'em and there's loads more around the rest of the country too just in case you're not really in Falmouth.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4755

Hope that all helps or have I said too much I do tend to go on a bit sometimes…

That sounds like a nice idea Tony. The weather here was good over the bank holiday weekend, bbc said it would rain but it was fine in the end. Got out a bit on my mountain bike along trails but Im still scared of roads...any advice!?

It's my wife's really, I only started going cos I felt bad about her having to clear it on her own (I was out on the bike) when we first got it a few years back. But, like cycling, it is addictive.

At one point I had fond notions of doing the website from the allotment, with the day interspersed with a nice bike ride. It hasn't happened yet but I'm going to try and do it at least once this year.

Wish I had an allotment, sounds like alternative therapy to being on a bike (not that I need alternative therapy mind)...just out garden is far too small to get any reasonable 'crop' from it. We may have enough for a salad bowl....

1 row to go, just back from lighting another damp bonfire.

On my bike first thing in the morning, but need to get back to get that last row of potatoes in, plus a row of garlic, plus promised my younger daughter we'd go out on a bike ride… feeling tired already.

four more slabs to go down, come in now for a beer - NOT BEEN ON MY BIKE FOR THREE DAYS

I've just been sorting the drainage in the lower field.

Potatoes nearly in, needed a bit more ground preparation than anticipated - still means I get to play with matches later and have a bonfire

The cherry tree is history!

we been growing our garlic and onions in little pots for a few weeks then we're going to transplant 'em in - give them a headstart on the slugs. Worked really well last year

i didn't know you could buy hedges on ebay... goodness me, there's 95 pages of 'em!

got my garlic in a couple weeks ago. last years crop was planted before Xmas so we got it nice and early.

Who doesnt love consuming their own produce? Though my gf might disagree..... B)

e-bay

Quote:

I'm waiting for a hedge to turn up

did you get it trade? or was it a privet sale?

Down the allotment for me, I've got to get our maincrop of potatoes in and the onions and garlic

i'm waiting for a hedge to turn up

It all means I have to be somewhere and do something at a specific time, that really doesn't suit my lifestyle too well!

The only time I can make that sort of commitment is when meeting up for a ride, everything else just gets in the way...but you are of course correct, running round the garden like something out of Bad Taste swinging a chainsaw does have potential.

yes, but playing with a chainsaw… that's gotta be fun.

That should take care of a cherry tree in no time, leaving you plenty of time for riding or alternatively looking for other things to use the chainsaw on!

I've got a cherry tree to chop down...to be honest I would give it a miss, but the father in law is coming up from Wales to visit and is bringing his chainsaw, so I now have to commit to actually doing it...d'oh

If you're going to use one of those coloured stain-type finishes, it should be a piece of p*ss. Slightly trickier if they are already painted, especially in different colours, but even so just go darker

The weather forecast isn't looking too good for shed painting though - most of those paints and woodstains need to be applied to dry wook + I'm pretty sure they also need to stay dry for a good few hours afterwards too.